A Dragon's Shadow
The man sat in the corner of the brightly lit room, with a mask covering the lower part of his face. He had sent out a job specifically for strong shadow dragon slayers in order for someone to hunt down the one man who had caused all of the pain in his life. Even though he hated dragon slayers, he new that not many ordinary mages would be able to fight the one he needed to kill, nor were there many that could actually find the man. After a week of waiting for someone to respond, he got a message back from a mage at the Dragon Soul ' guild. So, he sat, waiting for this dragon slayer to come, so that he could give him a full debriefing of his opponent. A white-haired man cloaked in a dark grey and a simple top-hat appeared in the designated area. It was the eastern portion of , the capital city of . He had traveled a considerable distance for this , so he hoped that it would be worth his time. The man, as the Job requested, was a Shadow . Although, a Tenebrous Dragon Slayer would be the more appropriate term to use. The man peered his head around. He was looking for a small building with a sign labeled "Paradise." In a couple of seconds, he had found the said building. It was a small establishment, but it was well-lit. He entered the establishment, and after moments of searching, found a single hooded man. Logic dictated that this would be his client. "Shadow Dragon Slayer, Araf, at your service." He bowed, awaiting a response. The man looked at Araf and proceeded to walk over to him with an almost arragant walk. He gave Araf a once over smiled internally. From the magical power that he could feel from the aforementioned Dragon Slayer, this was the man who would grant him vengeance. "Hello, come in, take a seat in my office" the man gestured to some chairs behind him as he walked over and sat back in his chair. "You are the first one to answer my call, but I am sure there will be no need for another." "Thank you." Araf felt the man stare him down. His senses flared and told him this man was not a good man, but he had to reign back. This Job was taken for the sake of Dragon Soul's integrity, as well as the potential to recruit a new member. Considering he was the only member trusted to take upon a Job of this caliber, he had to prove himself worthy of the praise given. "Thank you for your praise." Araf sat on the chair offered to him. "May I know the specifics of what I am dealing with?" "Straight to the point. I like that." The man was not good, he seemed only revenge against a dragon slayer that had wronged him. "Then I will be as well. About a year ago, a dragon slayer by the name of Genisus DeRynn destroyed my guild, stole a valuable weapon, and turned my own daughter against me. Most men would want to kill someone who has done that. But I have not the power to do so. But perhaps another Dragon Slayer might. I do not generally like dragon slayers, but I am willing to make an acception with this. I am will to pay whatever you desire in order to track down and kill that man." The man knew that the '''Dragon Soul ' guild was one that valued dragon slayers above all else, but he was hoping that that money would sway this man. Although tempted by the offer of money, it was true that his mission was to prioritize the recruitment of this Dragon Slayer. Nonetheless, he could not betray the trust of his client, leaving him in a particular difficult situation. "I shall accept your request, sir. Please tell me the location of the client and anything you know of him." The man gave a low sound that could have been a laugh if it wasn't muffled by his face mask. "Genisus DeRynn is a dragon slayer that uses darkness and shadows, that's why I requested only shadow dragon slayers. That way you might have an advantage. Abyss Dragon Slayer Magic is what it's called, it's a strong magic that that could over power even my most powerful mage, and their nullification magic. A source of mine told me that he is camping in a forest not to far away from here. He is dangerous in battle, he will analyze every move before he executes his own. And that weapon he took, it's a scythe called Bahamut, he is a master with ranged weapons. That is all I know." "I see." Araf responded, mediating the possibility of recruiting this man and the strength he will have to borrow to do so. The white-haired Dragon Slayer stood up. "As the Tenebrous Dragon Slayer, I take the responsibility of bringing Genisus DeRynn to justice." Without hesitation, Araf left the venue. He located the signs of the nearest forest through his enhanced senses, and carefully made his way to the location, all the while considering a plan of attack against his new enemy. A Duel of Shadows Genisus yawned as he awoke from his mid afternoon nap, which he usually took after he had finished a long workout. He stretched his arms above his head as he sat up, he then rolled his head around his neck which elicited several loud cracks as he finished his stretch. The black haired man then stood up once he was done, he took a quick look around his campsite and decided that he would get some more training in. While he thought about training, he couldn't helping thinking about his friends and his girlfriend that he had left 5 months ago, in order to train and become stronger. "7 more months...only seven more months." This thought rang in his head every time he thought about her. But he wouldn't let himself think about her for long as he quickly shook his head and a golden colored magic circle appeared under him as he held out his hand and a pitch black scythe appeared in his hand. "Guess it's time for training." Araf's figure moved through the forest with a slow walk. As he continued, he kept his senses on high alert. The environment was befitting the conflict that was bound to take place, but he knew of his true purpose: to bring Genisus to Dragon Soul. To succeed in this endeavor without his client labeling him as a fraud, however, was the true challenge. It was then that Araf's senses caught onto something. Power of darkness flared, power very similar to his own. The white-haired man's relaxed disposition turned serious as he located the position of his target. A pitch black scythe was visible from his position, and he assumed it to be the relic his client discussed. Within that instant, Araf transfigured his being into shadows, awaiting for a moment to strike. As Genisus slashed and twirled his scythe, he felt a presence around him. At first he thought nothing of it and ignored it, creating a few human shaped targets out of shadows that he began to move around and slash at as though they were people, clearly emulating a battle. When he grew bored of motionless targets he had a few start attacking him, although this gave him more of a challenge, it wasn't much. Once he had defeated his makeshift opponents he allowed the shadows to dissipate. He looked at his right hand that he kept covered in a black cloth, clearly deeply thinking until he decided to confront the presence. "If I may ask, how long do you plan to stay hidden?" As he spoke he didn't once turn to face the presence. "I wasn't planning on hiding for long. However, I came here with the intent of negotiating with you. If possible, I would like you to listen to me for a couple of minutes." Araf's voice, within the shadow, could only be heard as an echo. That is, until his body appeared from the shadow he hid himself in. Cloaked in black for but a moment, the shadows dispelled as he regained his bearings. "My name is Araf, and I am here from Dragon Soul." Genisus looked the man up and down, keeping his emotions well hidden in his face, he could tell the man was a dragon slayer, and that he had the same element as his own, although he could tell that before he saw the man. After a moment he decided that he would let the man speak. With a flick of his wrist he shoved the end of his scythe into the ground and allowed it to stay there as he turned to face the man and spoke with a calm voice. "I would introduce myself but I take it that you already know that. What is it that you wanted to talk about." "I would like to recruit you among our ranks." Araf told the man plainly. Beating around the bush would only cause more trouble than it was worth. "However, to contact you, I was forced to accept a mission from your nemesis. As such, I have two sides to please in this situation. The question is...are you willing to cooperate with me?" Araf questioned him, keeping his guard up. He knew that, if it came down to it, he must be willing to kill this man for the sake of his Guild's integrity, and more importantly, his own survival. Genisus had to hold back a growl at the mention of who hired the man. He knew exactly who it was. He looked the man up and down and noticed how tense and alert he was. He wasn't going to join the guild, it wasn't that he didn't like guilds, he was preferred to stay on his own, plus he had to be training and with his new friends. So, he came to the conclusion that this would end up in a fight, at this conclusion Genisus turned and grabbed his scythe and then looked at Araf. "I am sorry to say that I will not be joining your guild. Now, if you would be so kind as to inform me of the location of the man that hires you, that would be great." "You have refused my single request..." Araf's aura flared, "Therefore, I am afraid I cannot comply by yours, either." Shadows seized the Tenebrous Dragon Slayer's arms, its intense power gripping onto it so tightly it turned into a form akin to bandages. "Therion." That was the only word ushered by the Dragon Slayer, as he moved into a combat position. He lowered his body, placing his arms on the ground, his right leg moved backward. He was on all fours, in a position that indicated he was about to sprint towards Genisus. But he didn't. Instead, Araf's golden eyes glimmered within the darkness of the forest, luring Genisus to strike him. Genisus watch his opponent intently, expecting him to strike first. But when he heard his opponent usher the word "Therion" he was unsure of his intentions. He became even more confused when the Tenebrous Dragon Slayer got on all fours. To any other person this would have been a taunt that would be used to lure an attack. Despite the unusual tactic Genisus smiled internally, this would definitely be interesting. With a flick of his wrists the scythe spun around in his hand and he gripped with both hands with the blade facing away from him at the top. He then rushed his opponent and slashed towards Araf's head. Araf knew very well that maneuvering a scythe with dexterity was difficult for even seasoned combatants. He chose to fight with Therion for this very reason. As the scythe's blade was inching towards his head, Araf narrowly ducked downwards at the very last instant. The edge of the blade made a nick on Araf's hat, but it was of little consequence. The action was complete, and Genisus was exposed. Araf dived into a forward roll. Appearing directly underneath Genisus, his legs were atop him. "Therion." He ushered once more, his legs cloaked in the same tight-knit shadows his arms were. Within the next instant, Araf kicked upwards towards Genisus' stomach, with the intent of knocking him to the sky and expose him to yet another onslaught. Genisus smiled when his scythe missed. As it had never been intended to hit Araf in the first place he was not upset when his opponent dodged it. He watched for the second as Araf rolled under him and brought his leg up to kick his stomach. The shadows seemed to become apart of his skin as he spoke his spell again. At the oncoming attack Genisus only shifted the grip on his scythe so that his left hand had dropped lower onto the handle of it and gave him more power. '''Abyss Dragon's Scythe at this shadows coiled around the lower end of the scythe and formed an entirely new blade that faced the opposite direction of the top one. Genisus moved this know blade across his stomach, pushing Araf's kick out of the way. He then readjusted his grip and slashed in a downward diagonal arc towards Araf's shoulder. As Araf's kick was to make contact with Genisus' stomach, a scythe of shadows appeared in his way that caused the kick to be pushed backwards from the rising force. However, it was of little consequence to the Tenebrous Dragon Slayer. The moment that Araf's "Therion"-imbued legs had come into contact with the scythe, the magical energy composing the shadow blade had begun to be devoured by Araf's voracious Magic. As a consequence of their abilities possessing the same nature, Araf's being was temporarily empowered by the force of Genisus' Magic. In doing so, he added further momentum to being pushed away from Genisus, forcing himself into a backflip that enabled him to land narrowly outside of the range of Genisus' attack. In the following moment, Araf closed the gap between himself and Genisus once again. Moving into an extremely close range, he prevented one means of Genisus' attack. In order to make advantage of this space, Araf began the process of grabbing a hold of his opponent by the shoulders, with the intent of following immediately afterward with his knee squarely in Genisus' abdomen. As Araf's kick made contact with the scythe, Genisus could feel the shadows become food for his opponent's. It was a problem, one he had not yet encountered in his travels, and one that he knew that he needed to take care of. Soon. When the young man back flipped out of range of his slash he took the instant to think up a plan. He thought of using one of his hidden spells but didn't get that chance when Araf closed the distance between them within a second, and his knee was coming towards his abdomen. It was in this moment he came up with a new idea, as he noticed that both of their shadows were below them. He then decided that he would use a move that his friend Aaron had taught him, and one that he was very glad to use. He let his scythe disappear in a flash as he unequipped it and proceeded on. He then forced his elbow and forearm downward to block the oncoming knee. With this he continued to force himself and his opponents leg downwards and made a front flip like technique and brought his left leg upward and coated it in shadows and brought it down in a type of rolling kick towards Araf's head. "Abyss Dragons Neo Black Fang" Although Araf's knee had been pushed downwards, Araf's arms were still free. Taking advantage of the situation, Araf used his shadow enveloped hands to grab a hold of the leg that descended to him, leaving both combatants in a situation very difficult to escape from. However, it was only in this stuck position that Araf had a chance of landing concrete damage. With no hesitation, Araf gathered shadows and darkness within his mouth, his aura beginning to shake the very foundations on what he stood on. "Tenebrous Dragon's Roar!" The man exclaimed, sending out a wave of shadows that sought to devour Genisus whole. As Araf caught his leg his technique abruptly stopped. This left him hanging in the air, allowing his upper body to get closer to the ground. It was then that he could feel the shadows being pulled in by the man behind him and he immediately knew what was about to happen. He cursed to himself, knowing that he had but a second as his opponents roar charged. He looked down at the shadows below him and allowed himself to slip into his shadow form and travel into the shadows below them. However despite dodging most of the attack, the leg that had been caught was in pain and he knew that it had gotten caught up in the roar. Now that he was inside of the world of shadows he took a second to activate his "Pitch Black Metamorphosis" which allowed shadows to harden themselves around his calf as they healed his hurt leg. He then traveled through the the shadows and appeared from them a few meters away from his opponent. Without a second though he glared up his aura, allowing shadows and darkness to surround him as grow in height. "Twilight: Black Evolution:" He screamed the beginning of his technique and the darkness around him contorted as the molecules in them speed up to an incredible pace. In the next instant a loud clap of thunder was heard as the darkness completely transformed into lightning. "Fear: Reverence Bolt" Araf had taken a step back and gathered his stance again. He observed his enemy's new technique and was surprised at its functionality. "Lightning? No..." Having used his power to some degree, however, Araf's soul began to excite. To be precise, the souls within Araf began to excite. A luminous blue aura fizzled from his clothing, appearing as bright blue sparks of lightning that sought to devour the enemy before Araf, and then devour him in the aftermath. But Araf would not allow it. "Haaah!" Araf shouted, collecting those rampant souls within his body and forming it into an orb of crackling energy, bearing resemblance to lightning. "I will not let you have your way." Araf thought to himself, bracing himself for the incoming collision. Genisus watched in surprise as his opponent created an or of lightning in his hand. At first he thought that this was a variation on his own technique, but soon realized that it seemed different, something felt off but he couldn't decide what it was. He took a quick look around himself as his mind raced on what his next move would be. He noticed shadows had become more abundant and took that into account as he decided his next move. He drew his arms back, positioning his right hand with an open palm Infront of his right shoulder and his left hand, palm open in front of his left hip. He gathered black lightning into a ball in front of him until it reached a relatively large size. He then shot his hands forwards, sending the ball of lightning at Araf. Abyss Dragon's Dark Eternia "Hah!" Araf exclaimed, shifting his arm towards the incoming blast of black lightning. The two energies collided violently and sparks spilled outwards in all directions across a large radius, haphazardly causing light burns on Araf's clothing, and very likely headed towards Genisus' location as well. The collision took quite a period of time, but it had finally calmed down and dissipated. Araf's clothing had been charred, but it was of no consequence. Finally perceiving an opening, Araf hid the lightning that had appeared from his body and quickly shifted towards the offense. Within a moment, Araf chanted, "Nāga." His very body dissipated into the shadows, removing the limitation of physical laws upon his speed and closing the gap between himself and Genisus nigh-instantaneously. "Arachne!" His voice bellowed, as he leaped out from the shadows in front of Genisus. While maintaining an aerial position, he sent dozens of shadow chain-like threads erupting from his body, intending to entangle and lacerate his enemy. Sparks rained down on Genisus, caused by the explosions from the two bursts of lightning. However Genisus made no move to avoid them, the small burns that had appeared on his face and cloths didn't phase him. 'Reminds me of training with Aaron.' The Young Man however, didnt have a moment to think about his friend as he saw movement from his opponent who had shifted into shadows after chanting what he assumed was a spell. He then saw the shadow moving towards him at a blinding speed that even high class mages would struggle to dodge, focusing all of his newly formed lightning into his body he jumped back from his previous position just as Araf appeared from the ground and sent his spell towards him. As he saw the threads heading towards him he activated a spell that he thought would perfectly counter it. Swinging both of his arms in a circular arc he sent a wave of black lightning towards his opponent. Screaming Abyss Dragon's Rough Silk as he did so, the spells both collided and cancelled each other out. "This is going nowhere." Araf said, noticing that the two silk-like abilities cancelled one another. "Considering that you will not allow me to capture you alive, this is but the one route available to me." The voice of the white-haired Dragon Slayer echoed within the environment, as he put his right palm above his left at the center of his chest. He spread his legs out ever-so-slightly, loosening his overall stance. The moment that his breathing relaxed, his gaze sharpened and focused on his enemy, sending a killing intent that would send chills down his enemy's spine. Araf took a deep breath, gathering all the air and energy he could to release this attack. As the man exhaled slowly, he exposed his tongue as if he were a snake. Magical energy built up from his tongue and escaped in great volume, surrounding his body in the form of a dark, oppressive aura like the currents of River Styx. His eyes went from a calm topaz to a fiery amber, with sparks of lightning releasing from them, dropping on the ground and igniting flames. "Gorgon." Araf spoke, in a soft voice. The very energy that surrounded him took upon a material form. It spiraled around his being, circling his body and matching the frequency of his breathing. It was an impenetrable ritual, with Araf's piercing gaze almost forcing his opponent to observe the casting of the spell. The energy that circled in a ring around him began to coil and gather unto itself. Separations began, and the formless existence began an entity with scales across its whole length. The scales wove together and climbed to reach the energy that neared Araf's neck, with the head of a snake manifesting with a tongue of fiery amber, much like Araf's eyes. "Devour whole, Gorgon." Araf commanded as the snake submerged into Araf's shadow. Its movement could be traced through the ground, as it intended to devour the shadow of Genisus, and soon devour his whole body, turning the man into nothing but a physical mass of shadow. It was a cruel spell that Araf despised, and yet, in this sort of situation, it was his only trump card. Genisus watched as the man gathered up his magical energy, it wasn't soon after this that he realized that the ne next spell about to be used was going to be the strongest one that his opponent would use. When he heard his opponent speak the name of the next spell, he quickly began to prepare himself. The sheer amount of killing intent that he could feel coming from his opponent was almost too much to bear, 'Almost...' Thought Genisus as he remembered the first time he fought his mentor, and he was shown the true power of an Abyss Dragon. Genisus was about to look away and shift into shadows until he realized that he simply couldn't. This was bad, if he couldn't look away they he couldn't move, and if he couldn't move, he couldn't dodge, and if he couldn't dodge, then he lost. "Looks like I have to use this. I truly apologize for what is about to happen." As he spoke a large black snake appeared, coiled around the man in black. As this happened, Genisus forced his body to move, his left hand wrapping around the bandage around his right wrist. With as much willpower as he could muster, he yanked them off and revealed a pitch black tattoo of a dragon wrapped around his arm. In the next instance it glowed and a pitch black aura surrounded him. "Abys Dragon King's Mode." Was all he spoke out as a massive burst of black, draconic magic shot out from around him, creating a wall of darkness that seemed to cancel out Araf's spell. As this happened the visage of a massive black dragon became clear as it stared down at the man. The sheer amount of power and darkness that emanated off of Genisus should have been overwhelming to the man. Category:RP Category:Roleplay